Machine for machining axles



2 sheets-sheet 1; u F. D. BLISS. Machine forMachi'ning Axles. No. 235,929.

Patented Dec. 28, I880.

. v v ZSIieets-Sheet 2. P. D. BLISS.

MachineforMachin ing A x-les.,

No .'23 -5,9 29. Patented Dec. 28,1880;

s I a 1 a UNITED STATES l ATENT FFICE.

FRANCIS D. BLISS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO JACOB KRITCH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR MACHINING AXLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,929, dated December 28 1880. Application filed January 12, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS D. BLIss, of the city and county of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and 5 useful Apparatus for Machining Axles; and

I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part thereof, is a clear, true, and complete description of my invention.

Prior to my present invention machinery for the purpose indicated had been invented by Jacob Kritch, of Cleveland, Ohio, and said prior mechanism involved the combination of a slowly-revolving chuck, its head, and a hollow sleeve, and a more rapidly revolving milling-tooling having a contour adapted to machine the journal of an axle, and also the adjacent portions thereof. The chuck employed by said Kritch embodied jaws and their setscrews, and said chuck and a standard for supporting the end of the axle were mounted upon a vertically-sliding bed and provided with mechanism for moving the chuck and 2 5 rest to and from the milling-tool, and therefore,

although I show in my drawings and hereinafter describe a complete machine embodying said previous combination of elements, I make no claim thereto, but limit myself to the feao tures of invention specified in detail in the claims hereunto annexed.

To more particularly describemy invention, I will refer to the accompanying drawings, of which there are two sheets, and in which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is afront perspective view of a machine embodying the several features of my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a lateral vertical section of the same. Fig.3, Sheet 2, is an s end view of said machine, with aportion of the axle-center rest broken away to disclose the means whereby the feeding or axle chuck is revolved. Fig. 4:, Sheet 2, is a face view of the chuck detached. Fig. 5, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of the chuck-head, its sleeve, and worm-gear detached.

1 The frame A of the machine may be largely varied inits construction, butshould be strong and heavy in proportion to the character of work contemplated. Two strong uprights or standards, a or, contain journa1-boxes for the shaft B, on which the milling-tool C ismounted, and to which power is applied by way of pulley b. or other suitable means. The upright a has a bearing for aheavy stay-rod or brace,

a which extends above and beyond the milling-tool, and is provided at its outer end with a detachable hanger, a which affords a bearing for the extreme end of shaft B beyond the milling-tool, thus enabling the latter to be readily removed and replaced, and firmly 6o maintaining it while in operation.

The milling-tool as here shown is composed of four sections, of which section 0 is for machining the tapered portion of the journal, and those marked 0, c", and c are for niachining the collar and the adjacent portions of an axleof the character shown at D. These milling-tool sections are keyed to the shaft B, and bound firmly between a collar thereon and a set-nut upon and at the outer threaded end of said shaft, between the end of the milling-tool and the hanger a.

The milling-tool is provided with many outtin g-edges, and these may be more or less spi- I raled or angular, if a shearing cut is desired. 7 5 Said milling-tool, by reason of its comparatively rapid motion and the heavy work usually performed by it, is so mounted as to be capable of only a revolving movement, which necessitates an adjustability or movement of the axle D preparatory to and during the operation of machining, not only toward and away from the milling-tool, but also longitudinally, so that the axle may, prior to milling, be properly located with reference to the milling- 8;, tool. One of these movements is attained, as heretofore in lathes, by means of a sliding bed, E, mounted on longitudinal ways 6 on the frame, said bed being adjustable by means of a screw, 0, and set-nut at one end of the ma- 9o chine. The lateral movement of said bed is also attained, as heretofore in lathes, by means of a second transverse slide, E, (mounted on the bed E,) which is actuated by means of a screw, 0 and provided with the usual adjustable screw-stop e, for variably limiting its inward movement.

The axle-chuck F is capable of so engaging with the body of an axle, regardless of its set, that the journal of the axle may be revolved 10o on its true axis, and also firmly hold the axle against the pressure of the milling-tool. The chuck is mounted upon a head, f, provided, with a sleeve journaled in the bearing f in a pillar on the upper slide, E. The chuck itself is rendered capable of adjustment in two directions upon headf by means of a transverse slide, f and the set-screws f entering through slots in the face of the chuck, as shown in Fig. 4. Two jaws, g, with suitable set-screws g, are set in the chuck at right angles to the transverse slide f whereby, in connection with the slide f and set-screws f the adjustment of the axle is attainable in four directions, radiating from the true axis of the journaled sleeve of the head f, on which the chuck is mounted. For firmly supporting the outer end of the axle-journal a standard or rest, h, is employed, which is mounted on the slide by means of a slot in the base of the rest and a bolt, h, threaded into the top of the slide, so that said rest may be adj ustably set, as may be desired with reference to the chuck and milling-tool, according to the length of the axle-journal.

In machining practically straightaxles-z'. 6., those with little -or no set-a centering-rest alone may be employed for centering, and the chuck relied on purely as a means for rotating the axle; but said centering-rest is also desirable, when the true center has been at tained by means of the chuck, for more firmly confining the axle against longitudinal movement. I employ a centering-rest, Gr, mounted, as usual, with reference to longitudinal adjustment upon a projecting portion of the upper slide, E.

It will be seen that the feeding or axle-revolving motion may be imparted to the chuck by hand; but I employ an automatic feed motion, which proportionally corresponds with the speed at which the milling-tool is driven.

The chuck-sleeve has at its opposite end a worm-gear, H, which is engaged by a worm, H, loosely splined to a shaft, t', which extends rearward, and has a pulley, 7c, belted to a longitudinal shaft, is, which is, in turn, at its opposite end belted to pulley k on the millingtool shaft B.

Cone-pulleys are contemplated by me for varying the speed of the feed-motion with reference to the speed of the milling-tool.

The shaft i being loosely splined to the worm H, and the latter being longitudinally confined between fixed collars on the slide, said slide may be moved in and out without affect ing the operative relations of the worm and sleeve gear.

In operating the machine I preferto impart to the milling-tool about two hundred revolutions to one revolution of the axle, and the number of revolutions of the milling-tool per .minute may be considerably varied, accordin g to the character of the axle-blanks.

It will be readily understood that after the axle has been properly chucked it, Withthe slide, is advanced by the hand-screw 0 until a proper engagement of the milling-tool is attained, after which the axle is automatically fed throughout a complete revolution of the shaft. Then the slide is again advanced, and so on until, by the operation of the screw-stop 0 no farther advance of the slide is possible, thereby indicating the completion of the axle.

It will be readily seen that the direct feeding of the axle may be made automatic as well as the rotative feeding thereof, and I contemplate such an attachment in connection with stopping mechanism which will stop the machine on the completion of the axle, thus reducin g the necessity for personal supervision to a minimum.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the rapidly-revolving milling-tool, the standard for supporting the outer end of the axle, the axle-chuck, (containing the jaws and their set-screws,) the transverse slide f and its set-screws, the sliding bed on which the standard and the chuck are mounted, mechanism for moving the bed toward and from the milling-tool, and the mechanism for slowly revolvin g the chuck.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the rapidly-revolvin g milling-tool, the axle-rest, and the slowly-revolving chuck, and the means, substantially as described, whereby the chuck is rendered centrally adjustable in four radial lines for clamping and centering an axle, and adjustable bodily at right angles to and also parallel with its axis.

FRANCIS D. BLISS.

WVitnesses:

JAMEs A. WOQD, CHARLES R. WHEA'roN. 

